I've got boobs now boobs are cool
by wilsontoyourhouse
Summary: The adventures of the Doctor and his-or should I say, HER-companions. From Rose to The Parting of The Ways. The Christmas Invasion to The End of Time. The Eleventh Hour to The Wedding of River Song. We're going through it all! Genderbend.
1. Chapter 1

**_Let it be established now that I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. Know why?_**

**_I'm writing for a new fandom. Awwwww snap._**

**_So. How did this come to be. Well. I've been on a genderbend kick, like you wouldn't believe, and the (unfortunate?) victim of said kick...was Doctor Who. And so...here I am. Writing drabbles; bits and peices and, hell, what ever else comes to mind...with my own gender-bendered Doctors and their companions. _**

**_9th Doctor onward, strictly. I haven't seen Classic Who yet (working on it, though, but I'm almost done with Ten's era and it's gonna be so sad I'm gonna cry oh god rambling)_**

**_So. This is kind of awkard. Everything about this is awkward (even the title!). 'Cause I'm extremely nervous. I don't know how y'all will take this._**

**_But it's happening. So. Here wo go. At the beginning._**

**_1st season. 9th Doctor._**

**_Rose._**

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><p>This wasn't how he imagined himself dying.<p>

He imagined it in plenty of ways; going down in flames, burning, like a star, in the height of his youth, drifting off into a sleep that would never end after a long life…or even finally having a heart attack from eating too many chips, just like his mum said he would.

But not like this. Never like this.

He could almost see it now, carved into his tombstone: _'Ryan "Rose" Tyler, beloved son and friend; killed by mannequins'_

If the situation wasn't so oddly terrifying, he'd probably be laughing at the moment.

He took another stumbling step backwards, and when his back hit the cool wall, he felt his heart sink, '_this wasn't how it was supposed to go…'_

He was just supposed to give Wilson the lottery money and finally, after another long, _dull_ day, go _home_. Instead, Wilson was nowhere to be found and he was here, cornered in the basement by killer dummies. He instantly thought of his mum, his girlfriend, his Maddie, and the lackluster life he was leaving behind.

One of the mannequins in front of him raised its hand, ready to land a killing blow, and Ryan "Rose" Tyler closed his eyes so he wouldn't see it coming.

But his eyes quickly shot back open when he felt a hand slip into his own, and he quickly looked over and stared into the wide, pale blue eyes of a woman.

He felt the stranger give his hand a squeeze, and a voice reached his ears, "_run!"_

And with a strength that no woman normally has, she pulled him away, just as the mannequin's arm swung down, and cut one of the pipes that was behind his head in half.

And then they were running, bursting through the doors and sprinting down the hallway, and he wouldn't look back, he didn't dare look back, even though he heard the rapid pitter-patter of feet, which told him they were being followed.

They reached the elevator, and the woman slammed her hand against the buttons, looking over her shoulder. With a soft _'ding!'_ the doors quickly opened, and the woman quickly pulled him into the elevator, and pressed the buttons rapidly to make the doors close faster…but not fast enough.

An arm shot through the small crack of the doors, making them jump, but the woman sprang into action, darting out and grabbing the thing's arm, pulling and pulling, until…the arm came away with a soft '_pop!'_ and the doors slid closed. There was no sound except for their labored breathing, and finally, he spoke, pointing at the arm in the woman's hand, "you…you took its arm off" he said lamely.

The woman smiled, and waved it at him, "'course I did! It's plastic, see?"

She tossed it at him, and he jumped, startled, and scrambled to catch it, somewhat cautious; he didn't want it to come to life and start choking him.

"Oh, very funny. Nice trick. S-so what was that, then?" he demanded, "Were they students? Was this some kind of prank?"

The woman gave him a bewildered look, "students, why would it be students?"

"I don't know!" he said, exasperated

"Well, you said it. Why students?"

He shrugged, annoyed, "to get that many people to dress up like that to be all silly, it has to be students."

Looking over her shoulder, the woman smiled, impressed, "that makes sense. Well done!"

"…thanks."

"But they're not students." With that said, she turned back to the elevator doors, waiting.

"Well, _whoever they are,_ when Wilson finds them he's going to call the police."

"Who's Wilson?"

He shook his head, like it should've been obvious, "the chief electrician."

The woman turned back to him, her face grave, "Wilson's dead," she said, just as the elevator doors swung open, and she quickly stepped out, leaving her tagalong standing in the elevator, gaping at her.

He quickly gathered his sense and followed her, "that's not funny, that's _sick-_"

"Ah, turn away really quick, mind your eyes."

The woman reached into her jacket, pulling out a…well, he didn't know _what_ it was, really (and was that a _banana keychain?)_ and when she pressed it to the yellow box next to the elevator, a high pitched whirring sound came from it, and sparks erupted from the box, making him jump.

"What're those things down there?" he asked, but the woman was already moving, striding quickly down the hall. "Hey!" he chased after her, "I said-_who are they?"_

"They're plastic-living plastic creatures. They're being controlled by a device on the roof which would be a great big problem if I didn't have _this_." Whirling around, she'd pulled out an explosive device from her jacket and waved it around before turning around and heading towards the exit doors, grabbing his arm in the process. "So! I'm going to go up there, and blow them up! And I might well die in the process."

She opened the door, pushing him outside as she talked, "but don't worry about me, no-you go on. Go on, and have your lovely beans and toast!"

He let himself be pushed outside, saying nothing, just staring at this mysterious woman who went and saved his life.

"Don't you tell anyone about this," she said dangerously, "'cause if you do you'll get them killed." With that warning, she swung the door shut, leaving him outside, bewildered. He slowly turned, about to leave, when the door swung back open, and there she was again, "I'm The Doctor, by the way. What's your name?"

"Ryan. But everyone calls me Rose." His shoulders hunched slightly, and the embarrassed blush that got him the cursed nickname in the first place spread across his face.

"Nice to meet you, Rose." She grinned manically, waving the tiny bomb around once again, "run for your life!"

And the door closed again.

And he ran.

He ran until he thought his lungs would burst, looking over his shoulder as though he expected a mannequin to come out of nowhere. His run slowed to a fast walk, and he crossed the street in a daze, jumping a foot in the air when a car honked its horn, missing him by inches.

He didn't want to look back anymore, he wanted to run and run until he was back home; but he whipped his head around just as the beginnings of an explosion made the ground shake. He stared at what used to be his workplace with wide eyes, paying no mind to the screaming people and screeching cars; he was fixated on the shattering windows, the flames, and the mad woman that was trapped inside it all.

Finally looking away, he started to run again, throwing the plastic arm he was still holding into a bunch of bins sitting next to a small blue phone-box before sprinting to the first bus he saw to take him home.

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><p><em><strong>I don't think you understand how nervous I am right now.<strong>_

_**Guys, I am so nervous. Writing for a new fandom is scary, even if it is one that I love so much.**_

_**Anyway.**_

_**I need you to tell me. Tell me if you liked it. Tell me if you didn't, and why. Tell me if I should keep going. Hell, you can toss out an episode that I should do, and I'll write a couple of scenes from that episode. You can even pick what scene, if you want. But make sure they're in Nine's era! I'm doing this in order.**_

_**Um. Um. And! Would you like me to do a couple more scenes from 'Rose'? And-and, um, I can do, like, a bio at the end of the chapters for the companions, and the Doctor, even, if you'd like. So you could...see them in your mind better. Or something.**_

_**Oh god I am so nervous I'm rambling. **_

_**Okay. Okay. I'm done. I hoped you liked it. Tell me what you think, really!**_

_**Until next time!**_

_**The Author**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Asdfghjkl you guyssssssss._**

**_You guys are so nice ohmygosh._**

**_Thanks so much for the criticism and feedback, I appreciate it so, so much! And yes, I'll keep this going for as long as I can, and I'll try my best to make it good._**

**_Um-someone in the reviews said they wanted to see Jackie genderbent, but I tried and I just couldn't. I've decided to keep her as is. Hope that's alright. And fem!Mickey was mentioned (it's an iiiiiitty-bitty mention-just the name)_**

**_But anyway. On we go!_**

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><p>It was the alarm clock that woke him up, pulling him out of a dream of mannequins and flames and mad, pale blue eyes.<p>

Groaning, Ryan shoved his head out of the cocoon of covers, sandy blonde hair sticking up every which way and falling into sleepy brown eyes, which stared at the screeching clock in confusion. A hand shot out under the covers, slamming onto the snooze button of the clock, and Ryan wondered to himself why he even bothered to turn the alarm clock on, anyway; it wasn't like he had any place to go.

His job had been burned to the ground.

And, as though she'd read his mind, his mother called out from the other room, "there's no need to get up, dear; you haven't got a job to go to. Don't worry about it, Rose."

He groaned again, and let his head flop back onto the bed, "my name is _Ryan_," he grumbled, his voice smothered by blankets and pillows.

It was time to get up; Ryan couldn't go back to sleep, anyways.

_~o~_

There was a noise at the cat flap.

Ryan was just sitting at the table, tuning out his mum as she went on about finding a new job and compensation, when he heard it; the rubbery, pattering noise of the small flap, swinging back and forth.

He turned his head towards the door, eyebrows narrowing slightly as he got to his feet and went towards the door.

"Mum, you're such a liar! I told you to nail the cat flap down; we'll get strays!"

"I did it weeks back!" she called out, making him roll his eyes, "no, you _thought_ about it."

Ryan went onto his knees, making sure that nothing was about to come through the door, when he saw a small handful of nails scattered across the floor. He frowned, picking up one of the nails, which quickly fell out of his startled grip when something tapped the cat door. Heart racing, he leaned down, slowly pushing out the flap…and stared into pale blue eyes.

His heart lurched in his chest, and he shot to his feet, yanking the door open-and _there she was_, the Doctor, staring at him in confusion, like he wasn't supposed to be there.

"What're _you_ doing here?" she asked, and Ryan narrowed his eyes, confused.

"I _live_ here." He said, like it was obvious, and the Doctor frowned at him, "well, what would you do that for?"

"…'cause I _do_. I'm only at home 'cause _someone_ blew up my job."

All while he was saying that, she was _ignoring him_, pulling that strange whirring device out of her jacket again, "must've got the wrong signal," she murmured, "you're not plastic, are you?" she asked him, and Ryan tried not to roll his eyes. She reached out, rapping her knuckles against his forehead, "nope-bonehead. Bye then!"

She was backing away, turning on her heel, about to leave him confused and disoriented, like he'd been tossed about in a storm.

He wasn't having that. No, he was going to get answers.

"Um, _no._" He reached out, grabbing her arm, "you, inside. _Right now._" And before the Doctor even had time to protest, Ryan had pulled her inside and shut the door.

"Ryan? Who is it?"

Walking down the small hallway, he poked his head into his mother's room, "it's about last night," he explained hastily, "she's part of the-the inquiry, just give us ten minutes."

"He _deserves_ compensation" his mother said fiercely as he went into the living room to straighten up, and the Doctor appeared in the doorway, "ha! We're talking _millions._"

There was a moment of sizing up, Ryan's mother looking her up and down before she turned away from her dismissively, fixing her robe, "huh. Too old-looking, big hips."

"Oi!" the Doctor stared at the other woman, offended, "everyone always brings up the hips!"

She turned on her heel with in a huff, and went to the living room where Ryan was quickly straightening up the living room. "Don't mind the mess," he said quickly, moving to the kitchen, "would you like a coffee?"

"Might as well, thanks. Just milk."

As Ryan began to make coffee, she plucked up one of the magazines on the table, flipping through it as he began to talk, "we really have to go to the police! Seriously!"

"Hm, that won't last; he's gay and she's an alien," she murmured, not even listening to what he was saying.

"I'm not blaming you," he continued, oblivious to being ignored, "even if it was some sort of joke that just went wrong-"

Tossing down the magazine, the Doctor scooped up a book, rapidly thumbing through the pages, "Hmm. Sad ending," she finally said, tossing the book away before looking for something else to pick up. She moved to an envelope lying near the lamp as Ryan kept talking, "it said on the news they found a body-"

"'Ryan Tyler'" she read out loud, "huh. I like Rose better."

The envelope went back on to the table as a small mirror caught her attention. She looked at her reflection- pale skin, ice blue eyes, shaggy, boyish hair-and shrugged, "eh, could've been worse. But, oh, look at the _ears_." She grabbed the lobes, wiggling her ears back and forth, "ah…I'll just cover them with my hair."

"-All the same, he was nice…he was a nice bloke."

Brushing off her leather jacket and tugging at the olive green shirt underneath, she turned away from the mirror, "_luck be a lady,"_ she sang, picking up a deck of cards.

"-But if we _are_ going to the police, I want you to explain everything." Ryan went on, as the Doctor tried to shuffle the cards, only smiling as they sprang from her hands and flew everywhere, "maybe not," she murmured.

She was pulled out of her curious twiddling by a rustling sound behind the couch, "what's that, then?" she asked, heading towards the noise, "have you got a cat?"

"No."

She looked behind the couch, expecting a cat to hop up.

What she did not expect was a plastic arm to fly from behind the couch, wrapping its hand tightly around her throat. She gagged and flew back, clawing at the arm as Ryan spoke, "we did have, but there's these strays, they come in off the estate…"

Cups of coffee done, he grabbed the cups and went into the living room, rolling his eyes at the Doctor, flopped on the couch with a plastic hand wrapped around her throat. "I thought I told Maddie to toss that out," he grumbled, "she did the same thing, y'know…you're just alike, you two."

He placed the cups on the table, oblivious that the woman next to him was being strangled to death, "anyway, I don't even know your name. Doctor-what was it?"

His question was never answered.

The hand let the Doctor go, and she flopped back onto the couch with a gasp, and it went straight for Ryan, latching onto his face. He let out a muffled yell, shoved into the wall, and tried to pry the hand off. He felt another pair of hands latch on to the arm, and after one-two-three tugs, he and the Doctor went flying onto the table, breaking it, sending the mugs and magazines flying everywhere.

But the hand still didn't let him go.

'_Oh, please, please don't let my mum come in now,'_ he thought weakly as he rolled off the Doctor and flopped back onto the chair, clawing at the arm.

Finally, after what felt like forever, he felt the hand get pried off of his face, and stared, wide-eyed and panting, as the Doctor pulled out that device again, pressing a button over and over until the blue light at the end glowed and the whirring sound filled the room and she pressed the light to the hand until its fingers stopped moving.

She smiled, "there, see? 'Armless."

She tossed it to Ryan, who looked at the arm, then at the Doctor in disbelief, "d'you think?" he asked incredulously, and then he smacked her in the arm.

"Ow!"

_~o~_

"Hold on a minute, you just can't go _swanning off!_"

"Yeah I can. Here I am, this is me-_swanning off._ See ya!"

Ryan pulled on a dark purple jacket over the grey t-shirt he was wearing, chasing the woman down the stairs out of the apartments.

"That arm was _moving_," he called out, bounding down the stairs, "it tried to _kill me_."

"10 out of 10 for obvservation," she said dryly over her shoulder, her pace not slowing one bit.

"You can't just _walk away._ That's not _fair!_ You've got to tell me what's going on." Because there was no way he was just going to live on in wonder for the rest of his life; he wanted to know what was happening, and he wanted to know _now._

"No I don't."

But this woman was making it so difficult.

Fine. If she was going to be difficult, then so was he.

"All right, then. I'll go to the police," he said as they walked outside, "I'll tell everyone-and you said-you said if I did that, I'd get people killed. So, your choice-tell me…or I'll start talking."

They were walking side by side at this point, and the Doctor looked over at him, not really impressed, "is that supposed to sound tough?"

"…sort of."

"Doesn't work."

She was smiling, amused at his weak threat, and Ryan burned to know this person more, this walking mystery.

"Who _are_ you?"

"I _told_ you-The Doctor."

"Yeah, but doctor _what_?"

"Just the Doctor."

"…The Doctor?"

She grinned, waving at him with her free hand, "hello!" she chirped. Ryan just shook his head, brushing his hair out of his face, "is that supposed to sound impressive?" he asked, still trying to keep up.

"Sort of"

He'd really had enough of this; he just wanted to know what was going on. "Come on," he said, gently putting a hand on her shoulder, "you can tell me; I've seen enough."

She looked at him, eyes so bright they almost looked like they were glowing, and said nothing, but her steps slowed down slightly. That was enough.

"Are you the police?" he asked, and the Doctor shook her head, "no! I was just…passing through." A shadow was cast over her eyes, and she kept her eyes ahead, not looking at him "…I'm a long way from home."

He wanted to pry, but he felt that wasn't his place, "but-but what have _I_ done wrong? Why do those plastic things keep coming after me?"

"Oh, suddenly, the entire world revolves around _you_." the Doctor crowed, "You were just an accident! You got in the way, that's all."

Ryan scowled, "_it tried to kill me."_

"It was after _me_, not you. Last night, in the shop-_I was there._ You blundered in, almost ruined the whole thing. This morning, I was tracking it down, it was tracking _me_ down; the only reason it fixed on you is because you've met _me._"

"So…what you're saying is…is that the _entire world_ revolves around _you_?" he asked, his voice thick with sarcasm.

She grinned, "sort of, yeah."

He scoffed, "you're full of it!"

Her grin widened, "sort of, yeah."

"But-but all this plastic stuff-who else knows about it?"

"No one."

That shocked him a bit, "what? So-you're on your own?"

"Well, who else is there? I mean, you lot-all you do is eat chips, go to bed, and watch telly. While all the time, underneath you, there's a_ war_ going on!"

"Hey-" he reached out, taking the plastic arm from the Doctor's hand, "just-start from the beginning."

She stared at him, assessing him, seeing if he was worth it.

And then she opened her mouth and told her story-from the beginning this time.

_~o~_

"…I mean…if we're going to go with the 'living plastic'-and I don't even believe that-but, if we do…how did you kill it?"

"The thing controlling it projects life into the arm. So, I cut off the signal-dead."

"So…that's radio control?"

"Thought control," she corrected him, and he pursed his lips, taking all this odd information in.

"…you alright?"

Ryan nodded his head, "y-yeah. So-so who's controlling it, then?"

"Long story."

He huffed, "well, then-what's it all _for?_ I mean-shop window dummies-what's _that about_?"

'_O__f all the things to control…'_ the thought made him laugh, the ridiculousness of it all, it was just about to send him into hysterics.

"Is-is someone trying to take over Britain's shops?" A wave of giggles rose in his chest and he bit his lip, trying to keep them down. The Doctor chuckled on at his side, "no."

"Oh, I know," he chuckled

"It's not a price war," she went on, making both of them laugh for a minute, but what she said next quickly sobered them both, "they want to overthrow the human race and destroy you."

She looked over at Ryan then, her eyes much older than her youthful appearance, "do you believe me?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. Slowly, he shook his head, "no."

"And yet you're still listening."

And it's true; she had his full attention.

He stopped walking then, wanting to know just a little more, "really though, Doctor…who are you?"

She stopped walking, and looked over at him.

He said nothing, just stood there, waiting, and she smiled, "…do you know, like we were saying, about the earth revolving?"

She walked back towards him, not really looking at him, but _past _him, into something much bigger, "it's like when you were a kid; the first time they tell you that the world's turning, and you just can't quite believe it, 'cause everything looks like it's standing still."

She blinked once, slowly, and then looked at him, "I can _feel _it-the turn of the earth." She slipped her hand into his, gripped it tightly, "the ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling 'round the sun at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, _and I can feel it_."

She wasn't looking at him again, but at the ground, her eyes wide, focused on the things he couldn't feel or see, "we're falling through space, you and me; clinging to the skin of this tiny little world…and if we let go…"

She looked a little lost, a little sad, and her hand slipped out of his as she focused back onto him, her eyes narrowed somewhat, "that's who I am. Now _forget me,_ Rose Tyler."

She took the plastic arm out of his hand, and he was so stunned he couldn't even move, couldn't sputter in indignation that _Rose was not his name, _it was _Ryan_. No, he could only stare.

"Go home," she waved the arm at him and then turned on her heel, heading towards a blue box sitting on the street corner.

He began to walk away, still a little stunned, just trying to understand this woman this Doctor, but stopped as the wind began to stir, and a strange noise filled the air.

He didn't know why, didn't see the point, but Ryan turned around and he ran, stumbling for the first couple of steps, until he was back at where the Doctor had left him.

But the wind was already calming, and the little blue box on the corner was gone.

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><p><em><strong>Right. This went well. It went very well.<strong>_

_**Anyway. Descriptions and such now.**_

_**Okay. Ryan. Ryan 'Rose' Tyler. About five-foot-nine, with dirty blonde hair, kinda long. Peach skin, brown eyes, currently wearing a grey shirt and jeans and a dark purple jacket. He got the (oh-so-feminine) nickname Rose from elementary school, where, when he got embarassed (which was all the time) when he blushed it was the exact same color of a rose. And there we are. **_

_**Oh look at me, trying to be clever.**_

_**And now the Doctor. Five-foot-eight, with boyish, shaggy hair, dark brown, almost on the verge of black. Pale-ish skin, ice blue eyes and wearing a black leather jacket, olive green v-neck shirt (with a black cami underneath) black jeans and black boots (sensible boots, now, no heels-she runs a lot). Noticed in the last chapter, she has a banana keychain on her sonic screwdriver because she looooves bananas (bananas are good).**_

_**Everyone got a visual? Yes? Cool!**_

_**I hope you liked this, and feel free to choose what I should write next in Nine's era (not doing every episode, oh no. That's too much!)**_

_**Alright. 'Till next time!**_

_**The Author**_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Ahhhh, this took forever, I'm sorry. _****_I was being a bit lazy._**

**_But here we are! The next chapter, The End of the World! _**

**_There will be another chapter on this episode out soon (well, not soooooon, but as soon as I can.)_**

**_Oh! And! Captain Maximum Storm. I'm following your suggestions._**

**_Best review. Thanks ever so much. :)_**

**_Alright! Go on, then, read!_**

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><p>"Well, you could…y'know…come with me." A nod over to Maddie, who was cowering near the bins, "she's <em>not<em> invited."

And there it was. An offer. An opportunity.

Ryan stared at the Doctor, considering, and she stared back, wide eyes and slightly pursed lips the only sign of nerves.

"…Is it always this dangerous?" he finally asked, and the Doctor beamed at him, "yep!"

He almost wanted to smile back; even though it was dangerous, it was…exciting. _Fun._ He almost took a step forward, opening his mouth, but Maddie launched at him, wrapping her shaking arms around his waist and looking up at him with frightened dark eyes.

That brought him back to reality quick.

"I-I can't," he said, wrapping an arm around Maddie, disappointment coating his tongue like bitter medicine, "I-I've gotta take care of Maddie, and-and my mum…"

"…Oh." Her expression didn't change, eyes wide, lips curved in a slight smile, but somehow, Ryan could feel the disappointment, the hurt, "…Okay. Well…bye, then."

And she slipped into that little blue box, that TARDIS, and the wind stirred up, that indescribable noise filling the air, and the box vanished before his eyes.

Ryan sighed, swallowing his lump of regret, and helped Maddie to her feet, "alright, come on…let's get home and-"

'_Whoosh…whoosh…'_

Ryan stopped and whipped around, just as the box rematerialized and the door swung open, the Doctor pushing her head out, "did I forget to mention that this also travels in time?"

'_…There never really was a choice, was there?'_

He felt his lips curve into a smile and he turned to Maddie, hands on her shoulders, "…thanks."

She looked at him, confused, "f-for what?" she asked shakily, and he gave her a sad smile, "…exactly."

He kissed her on the cheek and turned on his heel, not daring to look back, not wanting to see those sad eyes, black bob ruffled by the wind and the day's adventure, one hand faintly reaching for him.

No, he wouldn't look. He wouldn't because it would hurt.

But it always hurt when you were leaving everything behind for something so much greater. So he ran, and he didn't look back, the smile on his face so wide as he fell into the open doors of the TARDIS.

_~O~_

"Right then, Rose Tyler, tell me, where do you want to go-backwards or forwards in time? It's your choice."

The Doctor smiled at him, leaning against the console, waiting for his answer.

He shook his head, "oh, I don't know…forwards!"

Turning to the controls, The Doctor pressed a few buttons and flipped a switch, "how far?"

"…One hundred years."

He said it as a challenge, as though it really couldn't happen. Well…she'd show him.

Not looking away from him, she put her hand on a wheel and pushed it, spinning it forward for a few turns, pressed a few more buttons and then pulled up a lever, grabbing hold and keeping her balance just in time as the world around them shook.

Ryan stumbled a bit, but kept his balance, keeping his eyes on the Doctor, who grinned at him, eyes bright with delight.

She quickly reached out, turned a knob, and the TARDIS shuddered to a halt, "there you go! Step outside those doors; it's the twenty-second century."

Ryan let out a shocked laugh, "you're kidding!"

"That's a bit _boring_, though…" she smiled mischievously, "d'you want to go a bit _further?_"

"Fine by me."

Pushing buttons, pulling levers, and they were off again, the ground and the walls shaking around them until the Doctor reached out and turned another knob.

"_Ten thousand_ years into the future," she said smugly, "step outside, it's the year twelve thousand and five, _the new Roman Empire."_

Ryan scoffed, shaking his head, even though his heart was pounding in excitement, "you think you're so impressive."

The Doctor huffed, placing her hands on her hips, "I _am_ so impressive!"

"You wish."

She stared at him, her new tagalong, so much harder to impress than all the others, and she smiled, "right then." She pointed at him, moving for the console again, "you asked for it. I know _exactly_ where to go."

Ryan just smiled at her in a challenge, a dare to impress. And impress she would.

She spun the wheel forward, farther than the others, flipped a switch, pulled a handle, "hold on!"

Everything moved and he gripped the console, looking around, waiting, staring at the Doctor, who grinned back at him, before pulling a lever, twisting a knob, and tapping a bell and everything was still.

"Where are we?" Ryan finally asked, and the Doctor said nothing, just raising a hand towards the door.

He looked at the door, and whirled back around, grinning, "What's out there?" he asked, his voice quivering with excitement, but the Doctor stayed silent, gesturing towards the door, telling him to go out and see.

So he went, looking over his shoulder, and pushed the door open, walking out into….a rather large room. Ryan looked around, at the walls, the tiled floors, taking tentative steps forward as he took in his new surroundings.

He hopped down off the little ledge the TARDIS was perched on, slowly going down the stairs as the Doctor headed towards a console, reaching into her leather jacket.

The whirring noise didn't reach his ears as he stared out, gazing upon what the metal cover was slowly revealing to him. Beyond the thick glass, there it was-the earth, a big blue ball, the sun burning bright, the stars miniature diamonds. It was there, all of it, just like it was in books, and it was all a bit much to take in.

"You lot-you spend all your time thinking about dying, like you're gonna get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids."

The Doctor stood next to him, crossing her arms, "but you never take time to imagine the impossible," she continued softly, "that maybe you _survive._"

Ryan didn't say anything, still looking out the window, and the Doctor continued, "This is the year 5.5/Apple/26-five billion years in your future. And this is the day…hold on…"

He turned his head, just in time to see the Doctor look down at the watch on her wrist before looking out at the window.

And then everything turned to gold.

The sun, rippling, fiery, appeared to grow even more, sending a wave of heat and light in all directions, making Ryan squint a bit at the brightness.

"This is the day the sun expands." She looked over at him, "welcome to the end of the world."

Ryan didn't know what to say. He could only stare.

_~O~_

"So…when they say 'guests'…does that mean people?"

They were walking now, heading down one of the many twisting hallways, the Doctor in the lead, taking him God-knows-where.

"Depends on what you mean by 'people'."

Ryan's eyes narrowed slightly, "I mean _people_. What do you mean?"

"Aliens."

She said it so _nonchalantly_, like she'd seen stuff like this _all the time._ And what did he know; maybe she did.

"What're they doing aboard this spaceship? What's it all for?"

"It's not really a spaceship," the Doctor murmured, pulling out her screwdriver to open up the doors, "more like an observation deck. The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn."

Ryan still wasn't able to wrap his head around all this, "….what for?"

The doors slid open, and the Doctor shrugged like it was all obvious, "fun." She strode through the doors, leaving him there gaping after her in shock, before shaking his head incredulously and following after her.

"Mind you, when I say 'the great and the good' what I mean is the rich." They walked into a large room, lined with smooth black columns, a large pane of glass starting from the ground and arcing over their heads showing the sun, larger than where he'd first seen it.

"But-hold on-" his eyes narrowed as he tried to remember, "they did this once on 'Newsground Extra'-the-the sun expanding. That takes _hundreds _of years."

"Millions," the Doctor agreed, "but the planet's now property of the national trust. They've been keeping it preserved."

"See down there?" He leaned in close, looking at the direction the Doctor was pointing, and saw little satellites surrounding the earth, "gravity satellites holding back the sun."

Ryan shook his head, "the planet looks the same as ever-I thought the continents shifted and things."

"They did, and the trust shifted 'em back; that's a classic earth. But, now the money's run out, nature takes over."

"…how long's it got?"

The Doctor looked at her watch again, "'bout half an hour, then the planet gets _roasted._" She sounded a bit excited, and that made him raise an eyebrow. "Is that why we're here?" he asked, a smile curving his lips, and she looked at him, "I mean-is that what you do-jump in at the last minute and save the earth?"

She looked surprised for a split second, but it was gone in the blink of an eye as she leaned in close, "I'm not saving it," she said seriously, "time's up."

That took the smile off his face, "but what about the people?" he asked incredulously.

"It's empty. They've all gone, all left." She smiled at him, and looked back out the window, and Ryan suddenly felt incredibly alone, "…just me, then."

"Who the hell are you?"

The two of them turned at the surprise voice and saw a man striding towards them, his eyes narrowed and was his skin _blue?_

"Oh, that's nice, thanks!"

"But how did you get in?" the man asked, ignoring the Doctor's chipper, sarcastic reply, "this is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked, they're on their way, any second now."

He sounded more panicked the more he spoke, and the Doctor reached into her pockets, pulling out a wallet that contained….a blank piece of paper. "No, that's me, I'm a guest! Look, I've got an invitation." She held up the blank paper, showing it to him, "look, there, you see? It's fine. You see? 'The Doctor plus one.' I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose Tyler. He's my plus one. Is that all right?"

"It's _Ryan_," he sighed, but smiled nervously in greeting none the less.

The blue man only stared at them, "well…_obviously_." He said, sounding a lot calmer than he did when he walked in, "apologies et cetera…If you're on board, we'd better start."

He smiled politely at them, "enjoy."

As the man walked away, she turned to Ryan, answering the question that was about to burst from him, "the paper's slightly psychic. Shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time."

She placed the wallet back into her pocket, and Ryan stared after the man, not really able to believe it, "…he's _blue_."

The Doctor beamed at him, "yeah!" she said, nodding, and he just sighed, going along with it, smiling in exasperation, "…okay."

"We have in attendance the Doctor and Rose Tyler," the man announced, "thank you. All staff to their positions."

The man clapped his hands, and for Ryan, things just got progressively weirder from there.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Aaahaahahahaaaaa this was hard. Oooh, and it's SHORT, too. <strong>_

_**But I'm glad it's done, all the same. **_

_**So! Expect the next part of The End of the World...eventually!**_

_**But it'll happen. Eventually.**_

_**Soooo, review! If you liked it, didn't like it, thought it was okay, what I could improve on, anything! Okay?**_

_**'Till next time!**_

_**The Author**_


	4. Chapter 4

**_Christ on a bike, this one was really flipping long._**

**_I hope y'all don't mind that. I couldn't really find a place to stop. _**

**_Yeah. So. End of the World part two!_**

**_Go on, then!_**

* * *

><p>"In memory of this dying world, we call forth…the last human."<p>

Ryan's ears perked at that, and he looked at the door, holding the two gifts they'd received, waiting. He was stuck in a room full of…of _aliens._ He had to watch the Doctor get hit on by a _tree_, for God's sake! If there could be just one human…just one person like him…

"The lady Cassandra O'Brien. Delta. 17."

The doors opened, and his mouth dropped open as something totally _not human_ walked-or rather, was _pushed_-in.

'_You have GOT to be kidding me!'_ he thought, almost speaking it, _screaming_ it, but he held his tongue as the last human (how could a talking trampoline be a _human?_) entered the room.

"Oh, now, don't stare," the woman (woman?) simpered, "I know, I know, shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away, and look at the difference. Look how _thin_ I am! Thin and dainty! I don't look a day over two thousand."

Ryan didn't know whether he wanted to scream, laugh or throw up; the Doctor wasn't helping much, smiling and grinning away like it was all just normal for her, like it was _fun._

He found himself moving closer, taking slow steps forward as Cassandra prattled on, "truly…I am the last human. My father was a Texan, my mother was from the Arctic Desert; they were born on the earth…and they were the last to be buried in its soil. I have come to honor them…and say…goodbye."

She sounded like she was trying not to cry, but Ryan didn't really know how she'd be able to cry when she was just a big flap of skin with a mouth. How on earth could _this_ be considered human? This was in no way a human being.

"Oh, no tears, no tears…I'm sorry," she sniffed, as the doors opened behind her, "but behold! I bring gifts from earth itself-"

One of the little workers walked in, holding a large egg in its hands, "the last remaining ostrich egg. Legend says it had a wingspan of 50 feet, and blew fire from its nostrils….or was that my third husband?"

She chuckled, and Ryan rolled his eyes, "who knows? Oh, don't laugh! I'll get laughter lines. Oh, stop! Oh!"

As Cassandra twittered on, Ryan just wondered how she was able to move her face to laugh in the first place. The doors opened again, this time showing two of the workers dragging in…a jukebox?

"And here, another rarity. According to the archives, this was called an iPod. It stores classical music from humanity's greatest composers. Play on!"

And with a few pressing of buttons, _'Tainted Love'_ began to fill the room, and Ryan had just about _had it._

This was too much. The aliens, the 'last human' (_'what bullshit!' _he wanted to cry out), and now _this._

He had to get out. This was too strange for him, he needed some space, he needed to _breathe_, to _think._

So with a few stumbling steps, he turned to the doors, before walking out of there as fast as he could. The Doctor saw him leave, and the smile quickly went off her face, replaced with concern as she began to go after him.

"Doctor"

She turned to Jae, one of the trees, just as he held something up, a light flashing over her. Jae didn't explain, just smiled slightly, "…thank you."

As she left, the Doctor didn't notice Jae staring after her, as though he was trying to figure her out.

_~O~_

"Identify species…please identify species…"

The device in Jae's hands chirped and clicked and he frowned, "now, stop it! Identify her species; where's she from?"

It chirped and clicked some more, and the result it came up with made him slowly shake his head in disbelief, "…that's impossible."

_~O~_

Ryan was in one of the many vast halls, pressed up against a window, looking at the sun below him when he heard footsteps approach. He turned, thinking it was the Doctor, but jumped in surprise when it was a short blue woman instead.

"S-sorry…am I not allowed to be in here?"

The woman looked around, uncertain, before finally speaking, "…you have to give us permission to talk."

'_I…what?'_

"Uh…" he was struck dumb, once again, "y-you…have permission…?" It came out more like a question rather than a statement, but the woman smiled all the same, "thank you. And no, you're not in the way. Guests are allowed anywhere."

"Oh…okay."

The woman walked up to a console in the wall, pressing a few buttons, and Ryan leaned against the wall, watching what she was doing, "….what's your name?"

She looked over at him, "Raffalo."

"Raffalo?"

"Yes, sir," she smiled, "I won't be long; I've just got to carry out some maintenance."

She kneeled in front of a metal door in the wall, "there's a tiny little glitch in the Face of Boe's suite; there must be something blocking the system. He's not getting any hot water."

Ryan nodded, understanding, "so you're a plumber?"

"That's right, sir."

He smiled in disbelief, shaking his head, "they still have plumbers?"

Raffalo chuckled, "I'd hope so, or else I'm out of a job."

Ryan laughed, too, "Where are you from?"

"Crespallion."

"…that's a planet, isn't it?"

Raffalo laughed again, straightening up, "no, Crespallion's part of the Jaggit Brocade, affiliated to the Scarlet Junction, Convex fifty-six. Where are you from, sir? If-if you don't mind me asking…"

"Oh," he shook his head, "no, not at all, um…" He could just come right out and say it, say he's from earth, but that might cause some kind of fuss, "I…I don't know. A long way away. I just sort of hitched a lift with this girl…I didn't even think about it…"

He spaced out, something akin to horror rising up in him as he spoke on, "I don't even know who she is," he said faintly, "she's a complete stranger…"

He wondered just how much he'd gotten himself into, and if he'd ever really be able to get out of it.

"A-anyway-" he took a step back, looking anywhere but her, "d-don't let me keep you. Good luck with it."

"Thank you sir. And, uh-" Ryan turned back, just in time to see her smile at him, "thank you for the permission," she said sincerely, "not many people are that considerate."

Ryan gave her a faint, wondering smile in return, "okay. See you later" And he walked away, not knowing that would be the first and last time he'd speak to her. Not knowing that Raffalo would be dragged into the vents to her death.

_~O~_

_"Earth death in twenty-five minutes…earth death in twenty-five minutes…"_

Ryan sat on the edge of the large benches, tossing the silver ball they'd received up into the air, looking at the earth, practically eclipsed by the growing sun.

"Oh, thanks," he said sarcastically to the speakers as the announcement ended, and he put the ball down, looking at the tree cutting they'd received. He picked it up, looking at it, "…hello. My name's Ryan…but some people like to call me Rose. That's a sort of plant…we might be related."

He stared at it a bit longer, and then put it down, sighing at his stupidity, "…I'm talking to a twig."

He leaned back on his hands and stared out the window, looking but not really seeing, and not noticing the ball behind him sliding open and a metal spider crawling out.

_~O~_

"Rose, are you in there?"

Ryan snapped out of his trance and sat up, just as the doors slid open and the Doctor walked in. "Aye-aye," she said, sitting down on the ledge across from him, "so, what'd you think?" She smiled at him, waiting, and he smiled back, "great! Yeah, fine. Once you get past the slightly psychic paper…"

The Doctor chuckled, and he laughed along with her, but he couldn't keep his thoughts in for long. After a short moment of silence it finally burst out of him, "they're just so…_alien._" She looked at him, confused, "the aliens," he explained, "the aliens are so _alien._ You look at them…and they're _alien._"

That explanation sounded dumb even to him.

"Good thing I didn't take you to the Deep South," the Doctor said thoughtfully.

Ryan leaned back on his hand, staring at her, the Doctor, this walking mystery, "where are you from?"

She looked away from him, at the walls, the scene outside, anywhere but him, "all over the place," she said in an offhand voice.

He let it drop, for now, "…they all speak English."

"No, you just _hear_ English," the Doctor reclined onto her side, staring up at him, "it's a gift of the TARDIS. The telepathic field gets inside your brain, translates."

He stared at her after she said that, his mouth dropping open, eyes narrowing in outrage, "…it's inside my brain?"

"Well, in a good way-"

"Your machine _gets inside my head? _It gets inside and it _changes my mind_ and you didn't even _ask?_"

"…I didn't think about it like that."

"No," Ryan said, anger bubbling up in him, "you were too busy thinking up _cheap shots_ about the Deep South! Who _are_ you then, Doctor? What are _you_ called? What sort of alien are you?"

"I'm just the Doctor," she said, sitting up, her voice rough, telling him to drop it, but he _wouldn't_. He wanted answers and _he would get them_.

"From what planet?"

She snorted, "Well it's not as if you'd know where it is!"

"Where are you _from_?" he demanded, and the Doctor bristled up in anger, "_what does it matter?_"

"_Tell me who you are!"_ He yelled, completely fed up.

She ground her teeth, eyes glowing, "_this is who I am! _Right here, right now, all right? All that _counts_ is _here and now, _and _this is me!"_

Her voice rose the more she spoke, but Ryan would not back down, "yeah, and I'm here too, 'cause _you brought me here_, so just _tell me!"_

The Doctor shot to her feet, swiftly walking down the steps, not looking at him, and went to the window, shoving her hands into her pockets, glowing eyes glaring at nothing.

_"Earth death in twenty minutes…earth death in twenty minutes…"_

Ryan sighed quietly and pushed himself off the ledge, slowly walking down the steps until he was at the Doctor's side. She still wouldn't look at him, eyes still bright, and he shrugged, "…alright. As my mate Shawn says, 'don't argue with the designated driver'. Can't exactly call for a taxi…" He dug around in the pockets of his jacket, pulling out his phone, and he saw the Doctor's shoulders shake with a small chuckle.

He held the phone out, pressing a button, "there's no signal," he hummed, "we're out of range. Just a bit."

"Tell you what-" The Doctor turned back to him, reaching for the phone, and he let her have it.

She took off the back of the phone, "with a little bit of jiggery pokery-"

"Is that a technical term, 'jiggery pokery'?" he asked teasingly

"Yeah, I came first in jiggery pokery, what about you?"

"No, I failed hullaballoo."

"Aw, well…" she stuck something into the back of the phone, closed it back up, pressed a few buttons and gave the phone back to him, "there you go."

He stared at her, wondering, and she nodded at the phone, crossing her arms. Ryan looked at the screen and saw that the Doctor pulled up his mum's number. He pressed 'talk' and held the phone to his ear.

It rang.

He looked at the Doctor, amazed, and she smiled, just as his mother answered, "_hello?"_

"Mum?"

"_Oh, what is it? What's wrong? What have I done now? Oh, this red top is falling to bits; you should get your money back."_ His mum sighed on the other end, "_go on, there must be something, you never phone in the middle of the day."_

Ryan let out a breathless little laugh, "_what is it? What's so funny?"_

He shook his head, "nothing. You all right, though?"

"_Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"_

"What day is it?"

_"Wednesday, all day. You got a hangover? Oh, yeah, I put a quid in that lottery syndicate; pay you back later."_

"Yeah, I-I was just calling because I might be late home."

"_Is there something wrong?"_ he heard the concern enter his mum's tome and he smiled, "no. I'm-I'm fine. Top of the world."

Behind him the Doctor smiled.

His mum hung up, and he turned back to the Doctor, eyes wide and amazed.

She smiled, "you think _that's_ amazing? You want to see the bill."

"…that was five billion years ago," he said softly, "so…she's dead now. Five billion years later, my mum's dead."

"Bundle of laughs, you are," the Doctor said, making a slight face.

Suddenly, the room began to shake, and the Doctor looked around, one eyebrow raised, "…_that_ wasn't supposed to happen."

_~O~_

"That wasn't a gravity pocket; I know gravity pockets and they don't feel like that."

They were back in the main room, swallowed up by the aliens and their chatter while the Doctor ran a finger along a blue screen near the door.

The Doctor looked over her shoulder, "what do you think, Jae?" she asked, calling him over, "the engines have went up about thirty hertz, is that dodgy or what?"

He shrugged, bewildered, "it's the sound of metal," he said with a slight, confused smile, "it doesn't make any sense to me."

She smiled at him and asked, "Where's the engine room?"

He shrugged again, "I don't know. But-but the maintenance duct is just behind our guest suite. I could show you and…" He looked over at Ryan, "your husband."

Ryan quickly turned red, and the Doctor shook her head, "oh, he's not my husband," she said quickly, and Jae looked confused.

"Partner?"

"No."

"Concubine?"

Ryan sputtered at that, and the Doctor shook her head, "nope"

"…prostitute?"

Ryan scowled, face burning, "_whatever I am,_ it must be _invisible. Do you mind?_"

He shook his head, "tell you what-you two go and _pollinate_, I'm going to catch up with the family." He looked over at Cassandra, "quick word with Michael Jackson."

He walked away, and the Doctor called after him, "don't start a fight." She turned back to Jae and smiled, "I'm all yours."

Smiling, he placed her hand on his arm and they headed towards the door.

"And I want you home by midnight!"

The Doctor looked over her shoulder to see Ryan pointing at her, trying to look stern but failing, a grin breaking through. Once they were gone, though, the grin fell away, and Ryan looked over to the supposed last human.

Time for a talk.

_"Earth death in fifteen minutes…earth death in fifteen minutes…"_

_~O~_

"Who's in charge of platform one? Has it got a captain or what?"

"There's just the steward and the staff," Jae explained, taking care to avoid all the wires hanging overhead, "all the rest is controlled by the metal mind."

"You mean the computer? Well, who controls that?"

"The corporation. They move platform one from one artistic event to another."

"But there's no one from the corporation on board," the Doctor said, trying to make sense of it all.

"They're not needed," Jae smiled, "this facility is purely automatic. It's the height of the alpha class; nothing can go wrong."

"Unsinkable?" she asked, lips quirking up in a sarcastic grin. Jae shrugged, "if you like-the nautical metaphor is appropriate."

"You're telling me. I was on board another ship once; they said _that_ was unsinkable. I ended up clinging to an iceberg-It wasn't half cold."

She stopped in the cramped walkway, looking up at Jae, "so what you're saying is, if we get in trouble, there's no one to help us out?"

He shook his head, "I'm afraid not."

She grinned, "Fantastic!" She began to move down the narrow hall again, Jae tailing her, confused, "I don't understand; in what way is that fantastic?"

_~O~_

"Soon the sun will blossom into a red giant, and my home will die."

Ryan stood next to Cassandra as she was wheeled to the giant window, saying nothing. "That's where I used to live," she continued, "when I was a little boy. Down there."

Ryan wondered if he heard her correctly, but Cassandra was still speaking, so he kept it to himself, "mummy and daddy had a house built into the side of the Los Angeles crevasse." She sighed, "Ah, I'd have such fun."

"What happened to everyone else?" he finally asked, "the human race-where did it go?"

Cassandra made a face (or at least he think she did), "they say mankind has touched every star in the sky."

"…So you're _not_ the last human." He stated, and she gave him a simpering look, "I am the last _pure_ human. The others….mingled." She said it with disgust, "oh, they call themselves 'new humans' and 'proto-humans' and 'digi-humans'-even 'human-ish', but do you know what I call them? _Mongrels._"

Ryan nodded, "right," he said, voice thick with sarcasm, "and you stayed behind."

"I kept myself pure," she said simply.

"How many operations have you had?"

"Seven hundred and eight," she said happily, "next week, it's seven hundred and nine; I'm having my blood bleached."

She finally looked at him, "is that why you wanted a word? You could be flatter, Ryan. You've got a little bit of a…chin poking out."

He smiled, bristling in anger, in disgust, "I'd rather die," he said happily.

"Honestly, it doesn't hurt-"

He laughed, cutting her off, "no, I mean it. I would rather die. It's better to die than live like you-a-a _bitchy trampoline._"

Cassandra sighed, like he just didn't get it, "oh, well. What do you know?"

He didn't take to kindly to being brushed aside like that and took a step forward, getting into her flat face, "I was _born_ on that planet," he said, pointing to the earth, "and so was my mum, and so was my dad, and that makes _me_, _officially, the last human being in this room. _Because…you're not human."

He shook his head, "you've had it all nipped and tucked and flattened 'till there's nothing left. Anything human got chucked in the bin! You're just _skin, _Cassandra," he said fiercely, "_lipstick and skin."_

He couldn't be around her anymore, he had to get away from this _fake_, "nice talking," he said, and he headed for the doors, leaving Cassandra there to stare out the window.

_~O~_

"So, tell me, Jae, what's a tree like you doing in a place like this?"

"Respect for the earth."

"Oh, come on. Everyone on this platform's worth zillions."

"Well, perhaps it's a case of having to be seen at the right occasions"

"In case your share prices drop?" She looked back at him and Jae rolled his eyes, smiling, moving ahead of her in the narrow space. "I know you lot," she continued, "you've got massive forests everywhere, roots everywhere, and there's always money in land."

He didn't disagree with her, "All the same, we respect the earth as family. So many species evolved from that planet. Mankind is only one. I'm another. My ancestors were transported from the planet down below, and I'm a direct descendant of the tropical rainforest."

He said the last part with a bit of pride and the Doctor nodded, impressed.

They came across a small screen, and the Doctor stopped, "'scuse me," she said, reaching into her jacket. As she pulled out her screwdriver and began to work on the screen, Jae moved closer to her, "and what about your ancestry, Doctor? Perhaps you could tell a story or two." She didn't say anything, so Jae kept talking, his voice soft, "perhaps a person only enjoys trouble…when there's nothing else left."

He leaned in closer, "I scanned you earlier," he admitted, "the metal machine had trouble identifying your species; it refused to admit your existence. And even when it named you I wouldn't believe it."

The Doctor had stopped working at this point and was staring at nothing, staying silent. "I know where you're from," Jae continued in awe, "forgive me for intruding, but…it's remarkable you even exist. I just wanted to say…how sorry I am."

He reached out, placing a hand on her arm, and she turned to him, eyes glassy with tears she wouldn't shed. She slowly placed her hand over his, and let a few rare tears slide down her face before she quickly went back to work on what was in front of her, sniffling. Then she went to the door, now unlocked, pulled it open, and stuck her head inside.

They walked into a large metal room, three humungous fans swirling lazily in the center of a long platform.

"Is it me, or is it a bit nippy?" the Doctor asked, looking over at Jae, who just rolled his eyes.

_~O~_

Ryan walked down the halls still burning with some left over anger from his encounter with Cassandra. But he wouldn't think about it, no, he would not; he's just going to walk and walk until he finds the room that they'd arrived in, and he'd just sit there until the Doctor returned.

He turned a corner, and was surprised to run into a group of cloaked figures (what were they called again…something with a meme…?)

They approached, and he smiled, albeit nervously, and prepared to greet them.

But before he could even say anything, he felt the sharp pain of being struck across the head, and everything went dark.

_~O~_

"Fair dos, though, that's a _great_ bit of air conditioning, though; sorta nice and old fashioned. Bet they call it retro."

The Doctor moved around Jae and headed towards a large panel, scanning it with her screwdriver. She smirked as she found what she was looking for, "gotcha," she said softly, pulling the skinny panel off the wall and watching a small metal spider tumble out. It raced away, skittering up the wall, and the two of them stared at it, "what the hell's that?"

"Is it part of the 'retro'?" Jae asked

"I don't think so…hold on," she pressed a few buttons on her screwdriver before pointing it at the small device. It slowed, stopped…and was pulled to the ground by Jae, who grabbed at it with a vine-like extension from his hand.

"Hey," the Doctor said, impressed, "nice liana!"

Jae smiled, "thank you. We're not supposed to show them in public"

"Don't worry, I won't tell anybody. Now, then…" she looked down at the spider in her hands, "who's been bringing the pets on board?"

"What does it do?"

"Sabotage."

_"Earth death in ten minutes….earth death in ten minutes…"_

They looked up at the announcement, "and the temperature's about to skyrocket," she said softly, "come on."

_~O~_

"The planet's end…come gather, come gather…bid farewell to the cradle of civilization; let us mourn her with a traditional ballad."

At that mention, a new disc was selected in the 'iPod' and in a few seconds, the area was filled with…Brittany Spears' 'Toxic'.

As the music played, the Doctor and Jae were making their way back to the main room, when they heard the cries of the workers.

The Doctor raced forward, pushing them back, "all right, hold on! Get back!" Once she got to the panel to open the door, she pulled out her screwdriver, pressing it against the panel until… "_Sunfilter rising…sunfilter rising…sunfilter rising…"_

"Is the steward in there?" Jae asked, horrified

"You can smell him," she said grimly, "hold on…there's another sunfilter programmed to descend."

_~O~_

Ryan woke up to a throbbing head and Brittany Spears; for a second he wondered if he was back at home and hung-over.

"_Sunfilter descending…sunfilter descending…"_

That was telling him something else. He sat up, just as the room was filled with a bright light, a blinding light, and he covered his eyes, wondering what it was from.

And then he saw it; the light, it was from the _sun_. If he didn't get out of here, he was going to be burned alive.

Scrambling to his feel, he raced up the stairs and headed to the door, slamming his fists as hard as he could against the door, "let me out! _Let me out!_"

_~O~_

The Doctor raced down the halls, following the rapid knocks that started up. She turned a corner into a corridor that was filling up with smoke, and ran to the door, screwdriver already in hand. "Is someone in there?" she asked, pressing the screwdriver against the panel.

"Let me out!" a voice screamed, a _familiar_ voice, and the Doctor rolled her eyes, "oh, well, it _would_ be you."

"_Open the door!"_

"Hold on, give us two ticks."

Ryan pressed himself against the door, trying not to panic as the light got closer and closer the lower the sunfilter went.

He was two beats away from a panic attack when he heard it, "_Sunfilter rising…sunfilter rising…"_

Ryan sagged against the door with a sigh, his knees weakening with relief the higher the shield got. On the other side, the Doctor smiled, victorious, and headed towards the door to help Ryan out. But then….

"_Sunfilter descending…sunfilter descending…"_

"This is just what we need," the Doctor said, "the computer's getting clever."

"_Well, then stop mucking about!"_ Ryan called frantically, slamming his fist against the door.

"I'm _not_ mucking about, it's _fighting back!"_

"_Open the door!"_

"_Hang on!"_

He could _not_ stay up here anymore, not unless he wanted to burn to death.

Ryan scrambled down the stairs, throwing himself down onto his belly, watching as the light got closer and closer.

"The lock's melting!" he yelled out, and the Doctor worked fast, shoving her screwdriver into the computer, past the wires, scanning, until… "_Sunfilter rising…sunfilter rising…"_

Ryan ran up the stairs as soon as he could, and on the other side, the Doctor grabbed the door, trying to pull it open. But it wouldn't budge.

"The door's jammed, I can't get it open! Stay there! Don't move!"

"Where am I gonna go, Ipswich?" he asked fiercely

He listened to her footsteps until they faded away, until he knew he was alone, and he pressed his back against the burnt door, heart racing painfully in his chest.

_~O~_

"The metal machine confirms…the spider devices have infiltrated the whole of platform one" Jae was saying grimly as the Doctor entered the main hall.

"How is that possible?" Cassandra asked, "our private rooms are protected by a code wall."

The Doctor plucked the spider device from Jae's hand, just as someone said, "Summon the steward!"

Jae frowned, "I'm afraid the steward is dead.

Gasps and murmurs of fear filled the room, and the Doctor looked around at them all, wondering which one of them was guilty of sabotage.

"Who killed him?"

"This whole event was sponsored by the Face of Boe," Cassandra said fiercely, "he invited us! Talk to the face! Talk to the face!"

The Doctor ignored it, looking at the spider in her hand, "easy way of finding out," she said loudly, making everyone fall silent, "someone brought their little pet on board. Let's send him back to master."

She gently placed the spider back on the ground and it came back to life, looking around, moving forward until it stopped in front of…Cassandra. It looked up at her, not moving, before turning back around and heading towards the group of cloaked people in the corner.

"The Adherents of the Repeated Meme," Cassandra said, "_j'accuse!"_

"That's all very well and, really, kind of obvious," the Doctor broke in, hands behind her back as she began to pace, "but, if you stop and think about it-"

She headed towards the 'accused', and the leader swung at her with a clawed metal hand. The Doctor easily grabbed it and yanked back, ripping the arm off completely, "a repeated meme is just an idea. And that's all they are-an idea."

She yanked one of the cords on the arm, and the cloaked figures collapsed, "remote control droids," she explained, tossing the arm to the ground, "nice little cover for the _real_ troublemaker. Go on, Jimbo. Go home." She poked at the device with the toe of her boot, and it skipped forward, scuttling across the ground towards…Cassandra.

She frowned, "I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed. _At arms!"_

The two men that flanked her took a step forward, holding up the sprinklers they were holding. "What're you gonna do? Moisturize me?" the Doctor asked skeptically

"With acid," Cassandra said blandly, and she smiled, "oh, you're too late, anyway. My spiders have control of the mainframe. Oh, you all carried them as gifts, tax-free, past every code wall." She chuckled, "I'm not just a pretty face."

The Doctor frowned, sabotaging a ship while you're still inside it-how stupid's that?"

"I'd hoped to manufacture a hostage situation-with myself as one of the victims. The compensation would've been _enormous_."

"Five billion years and it still comes down to money," the Doctor said bitterly

"Do you think it's cheap, looking like this?" Cassandra snapped, "flatness costs a _fortune._ I am the last human, Doctor…_me._ Not that freaky little kid of yours."

"Arrest her! The infidel!"

Murmurs of agreement began to rise, and Cassandra scoffed, "oh, _shut it_, pixie. I've still got my final option."

_"Earth death in three minutes…earth death in three minutes…"_

"And here it comes…you're just as useful dead, all of you. I have shares in your rival companies, and they'll triple in price as soon as you're dead."

Whispers of concern flitted across the room as Cassandra spoke on, "my spiders are ready and primed to destroy the safety systems. How did that old earth song go…? '_Burn, baby, burn'_

"Then you'll burn with us," Jae said fiercely

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Cassandra simpered, "I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden, but…I'm such a _naughty_ thing. Spiders, activate."

Everyone cried out as the area began to shake with explosions, and in his room, Ryan flinched as the walls shook around him, pressing his back against the door.

"Force fields gone, with the planet about to explode…at least it'll be quick. Just like my fifth husband." Cassandra stifled a chuckle, "oh, shame on me. Bye-bye, darlings~"

And then, in a flash of light, Cassandra was gone.

"_Heat levels rising…"_

"Reset the computer!"

"Only the steward would know how!"

"No," the Doctor said, "we can do it by hand. There must be a system restore switch." She went to the door, "Jae, come with me! Everyone else, just _chill!"_

_~O~_

The two of them ran back to the engine room, spurred on by the flashing red light and announcement that the heat had cone to critical.

"Oh of course," the Doctor groaned, "and look where the switch is" It was on the other side of the platform; they'd have to go through the three fans to get it. She looked around, searching, and saw the lever for the fans, reaching out and holding it down until the fans went to a complete stop.

But, when she moved away, the lever slammed back into place, and the fans just started up again.

She stared at them, thinking, wondering what she could do, until she heard a soft grunt, and the fans whirled to a stop once again.

She turned to Jae, who was holding the lever down, "you can't. The heat's gonna vent through this place."

"I know," he breathed, nodding, but he didn't step away

"Jae, you're made of _wood_"

"Then stop wasting time," he smirked at her, "Time Lord."

She stared at him for a moment, before her face burst into a wide grin and she ran to the slowing fans.

Keeping an eye on the whirling blades, she waited for an opportunity to pass, and when she saw a gap, she ran forward, sprinting, the blades missing her just barely

She looked back at Jae, and he gave her a determined look, even though his eyes were glassy.

She turned and ran, passing the next fan.

The Doctor was almost there, almost at the switch, when a loud scream reached her ears. When she looked back, Jae was gone; where he stood, there was a column of flames.

She was too slow.

_~O~_

Ryan was sure that his heart was going to pound out of his chest as he jerked to the right, avoiding another beam of deadly sunlight as the glass in front of him began to crack.

"Oh, God, Doctor," he groaned, "hurry, please, _please hurry._"

He'd discarded his jacket as the heat began to rise, and he curled into himself, gripping the sleeves of his thin t-shirt, his breathing ragged.

"_Earth death in ten…nine…eight…seven…"_

Avoiding another beam of light by mere inches, Ryan closed his eyes and waited, hoping that, somehow, the Doctor would come through.

"_Six…five…four…three…"_

_'Doctor,'_ he thought, '_come on. Help. Somehow…'_

_"…Two…"_

_'Please…'_

_"…one…"_

"_Exoglass repaired…exoglass repaired…"_

Ryan's eyes shot open, and he looked around, shaking, at the burned room, and the glass as it repaired itself, showing him the floating remains of what used to be planet earth.

_~O~_

When Ryan walked back into the main room, he was washed over with voices of concern and the cries of some who hovered over smoking piles of ashes. He took it all in, not saying a word, not even when the Doctor marched in, eyes bright, face stony with her anger. She went to the trees, placing hands on their shoulders, "I'm afraid Jae's dead," he heard her tell them softly, and she murmured something else before patting them on the shoulder, "I'm sorry." She backed away, leaving them curling in on each other in grief.

"…Are you alright?" he asked when the Doctor headed back his way

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, voice shaking with anger, "I'm full of ideas, I'm bristling with them. Idea number one-teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed."

Then she saw it-the ostrich egg that Cassandra had brought with her and strode towards it, "Idea number two-this feed must be hidden nearby." She grabbed the egg and slammed it onto the podium, breaking it, and grabbing the device inside. "Idea number three-if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be _reversed_."

She turned the device, and a light filled the room, and along with it, a voice.

"Oh, you should have seen their little alien faces-" Cassandra stopped as she looked at where she was, "…oh."

"The last human," the Doctor said smugly

"So, you passed my little test, bravo," Cassandra laughed, and it sounded frantic, "this makes you eligible to join the-the Human Club."

"People have _died_, Cassandra; you _murdered them._"

"It depends on your definition of 'people', and that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries. Take me to court, then, Doctor, and watch me smile, and cry, and flutter-"

"And creak?"

"And-what?"

"Creak. You're creaking."

Sure enough, as Cassandra spoke, a creaking noise erupted from her, and was growing louder every second

"A-ah, I'm drying out," she said frantically, "oh, sweet heavens-moisturize me! Moisturize me! Oh-where are my surgeons? My lovely boys! Ohh, it's _too hot-_"

"You raised the temperature," the Doctor said, unforgiving.

"Have pity!" she cried out, "moisturize me!"

Ryan, unable to watch anymore, walked up to the Doctor's side, "…help her," he finally said, looking down at her. She looked back at him, unmoved by his demand and un-swayed by Cassandra's frantic cries, "everything has its time and everything dies."

"I'm…too…_young!"_

And with that final cry, Cassandra exploded.

_~O~_

Even though he was staring at it, Ryan couldn't really believe it.

The earth, gone. Just like that. In the blink of an eye it vanished, turned into nothing more than a bunch of floating rubble and memories.

It was unbearably sad.

He looked over his shoulder as he heard footsteps approach, knowing it was the Doctor. He turned back to the window, knowing she'd be at his side soon enough, "the end of the earth," he said softly, his voice breaking a little, "it's gone. And we were too busy saving ourselves; no one saw it go."

A lump was growing in his throat, but he swallowed it, "all those _years_, all that _history_ and no one was even looking." He shook his head, "it's just…"

"Come with me."

He looked at the Doctor, at her outstretched hand, her eyes earnest, shining out from beneath her shaggy bangs, and he trusted her. He reached out, placed his hand in hers, and let himself get pulled away from the window, from the sun, so large, and the fragments of the earth.

_~O~_

It was almost a shock, seeing so much people.

After being so far away, surrounded by such strange people, it was all so strange. But Ryan stood there, in the sea of people, taking in the tide of murmuring voices, a man's laughter, a baby's cry. He looked at the cars and the buildings and wondered how, one day, all of this would be gone.

"You think it'll last forever, people and cars and concrete," the Doctor said, looking around at the people like he was, "but it won't. One day it's all gone; even the sky."

They looked up at the sky, so blue, and said nothing.

Finally, it was the Doctor that broke the silence between them, "my planet's gone," she said, "it's dead." She looked at him, "it burned, like the earth. It's just rocks and dust…before it's time."

"What happened?" he asked

It took a second for her to speak, to find her voice and answer, "there was a war," she said simply, "and we lost."

"A war with who?"

She stayed silent, said nothing, so Ryan cleared his throat, moved on to the next question, "what about your people?"

"…I'm a Time Lord," she finally said, "I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone; I'm the only survivor. I'm left traveling on my own because there's no one else."

She stated it like a fact, like she had time to accept it, but it sounded so sad, so lonely, that Ryan's heart just broke. He shook his head, "there's _me_," he said earnestly, and when she looked back at him, he smiled.

"You've seen how dangerous it is; do you want to go home?"

"…I don't know," he finally said, "I want-" He stopped as a scent wafted around him, and Ryan turned towards it, nostrils flaring, and his stomach rumbled. "Oh, can you smell chips?" he asked, looking over at her. The Doctor looked at him, smiled, and then laughed, incredulous, "yeah. Yeah."

Ryan inhaled again, "I want _chips_."

She nodded in agreement, smiling, "me, too."

"Right, then, before you get me back in that box, chips it is, and you can pay."

She shrugged, "no money."

"What sort of date are you?" he asked jokingly, "come on, then, chips are on me. We've only got five billion years 'till the shops close."

And then he smiled at her, and it was the most wonderful smile, a cheeky grin, his tongue poking through his teeth, and the Doctor decided that she loved that smile right then and wanted to keep it around. Just for a little while.

So they walked through the crowd to the chip shop, and as they walked she felt Ryan grab her hand, and she leaned into his arm with a smile.

* * *

><p><em><strong>This was really, really long.<strong>_

_**Wow. I am astounded by how long this was. I honestly apologize at the length.**_

_**Um.**_

_**Yeah.**_

_**Nothing else to say. Review please, tell me what you thought!**_

_**The Author**_


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